Despite strong community opposition, Energy Australia today announced its proposed energy substation at Empire Bay will go ahead.
The company says an environmental assessment confirmed the project would not impact on the wildlife corridor where it’s based, or create any extra fire risk.
Crews will begin installing fencing and signage around the designated site next week, with construction to start next month.
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The DRAFT review of Environmental Factors that was released to Gosford Council officers and interested community members has no assessment from the RFS. The information in the bushfire assessment fails to acknowledge the preservation zones that will butt up to the perimeter fencing of the site. !00 metres vegetation width on the west and 10-15 metres width on the east. Yet this limited access, with the bulk of the building and locked perimeter fencing will not create an extra fire risk according to Energy Australia. Many in the local community do not agree This self determining public utility has not even recognised that the category 1 bushfire prone land is less than 20 metres to the north. Documented on GCC bushfire mapping. National Parks were finalising the aquisition of an area of this land in 2008 and it was gazetted in May 2010. The Energy Australia experts certainly didn’t document this. Their bushfire assessment for category 1 bushfire prone land downslope to the north is out by 80%. This certainly raises the bushfire risk .Now Energy Australia intend building and placing long term site works on the grassed areas facing Poole Close that act as critical asset protection zones on this bushfire prone land. This protects local residents, the preservation areas on the land and commercial properties including the service station. This APZ is on plans and documented on the land title.
As far as a corridor for wildlife the Land and Environment Court recognised this for the western end of the site on a 2.39 ha assessed site which saw a service station built at the eastern end. Energy Australia purchased a 1.022 ha subdivided parcel to the west of the service station, Yes, the area recognised as connecting the ridges of Bouddi to the Cockle Bay Nature Reserve by The LEC. This is why there are 2 preservation areas and grassed areas in between on the site in question. The corridor for wildlife movement. Energy Australia will build right in the middle of these preservation areas, yet claim this will NOT IMPACT on the Wild life corridor. Gosford Councillors requested an EIS, ignored and not referenced in this DRAFT document by Energy Australia. A letter from GCC legal officer confirms this request in May 2010. This would have seen independent experts such as DECCW being involved.
The flora and fauna assessment by Energy Australia again is flawed.
If this company was open and transparent it would have agreed to an EIS and gained an RFS assessment.
Not Energy Australia. The arrogance of this company was highlighted in an ACA article this week where the CEO spoke to the power pole protester with genuine concerns. They just push on building questionable required infrastructure in inappropriate locations and the people of NSW will pay the price on their power bills.
This proposal at Empire Bay requires the intervention of the Minister for Planning and close scrutiny.
Yes I agree Claire
Not to mention that this area has a large number of threatened, endangered and critically endangered fauna that use this site for access to the Cockle Bay wetlands Bouddi Heights NP as well as for foraging and habitat.
THE Review of Environmental Factors completed by Energy Australia did not even check the habitat trees which have significant nesting hollows for any fauna at all.
This is in itself is a blatant disregard for guidelines in doing any Environmental assessment and Energy Australia should be condemned for not adhering to scientific practises.
Shame on you Energy Australia for not listening to the local community who came up with feasible alternate sites that actually would have saved Energy Australia, Community and the environment a lot of grief and $ in the long term.
We do need infrastructure upgrade but not at the expense of community, environment and our hip pockets.
Everybody is complaining at the rise in energy costs and the community believes that it is a carbon tax but it is NOT
We are paying for Infrastructure upgrades which should have been done 10 to 15 yrs ago but they were not.
THIS ZONE SUBSTATION SHOULD BE STOPPED UNTIL AN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT HAS BEEN COMPLETED.